1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of this invention relate to a portable system for making video/audio records and still photo images. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a portable digital video/audio recording system designed to be secretly worn on a user's body and configured to be mounted in a plurality of locations on the user's body and, first of all, on a clothing article worn by the user.
There is more than one field of application for this invention. The following consideration presents the example of one of the most important of them:
By law, private citizens of the USA have the right to own and to carry (in the majority of the states reticently) firearms for the self-defense. However, the real use of a firearm for the self-defense entails one of the biggest fears of a lawful citizen in the aftermath of a possible shooting event: Even when the shooting is completely justified, an ensuing investigation, legal uncertainties, and almost inevitable charges by sometimes overzealous prosecutors can lead to emotional and financial ruin. The citizen's truthful description of events will be questioned and dismissed. His/her actions undertaken under the stress of mere seconds deciding life and death will be second-guessed by comfortable people leisurely discussing the matters under the blanket of police protection. The witnesses even if they exist are usually inclined to avoid the involvement in the investigation and trial and often are biased (see for example the Zimmerman/Martin story). In such a situation, having an indisputable video/audio record of an altercation could prove indispensable in improving the chances of a favorable outcome of the investigation and trial for the attacked citizen. Consequently, a secretly wearable video/audio recording device of some sort seems to be the logical means of providing such a record. The secretive manner of wearing such a device is usually preferable because in the areas with heightened criminality like e.g. inner cities where such a device can be particularly useful, its noticeability entails the heightened and usually not quite friendly attention that can provoke the otherwise avoidable attack.
2. Related Art
In fact, the numerous “spy cameras” of many types are widely presented on the market (see, for example,    http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Wearable%20spy%20video%20camera%20wireless&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=wearable%20spy%20video%20camera%20wireless&sc=0-25&sp=−1&sk=;    http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=eyeglasses+video+recorders&FORM=HDRSC2;    http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=wearable+cell+phone&gpvt=wearable+cell+phone&gpvt=wearable+cell+phone&gpvt=wearable+cell+phone&FORM=IGRE;    http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=wearable+video+recoerders&FORM=HDRSC2;    http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=wearable+recorders&gpvt=wearable+recorders&gpvt=wearable+recorders&gpvt=wearable+recorders&FORM=IGRE).
These cameras, however, usually have one to four shortcomings, of which the first three are serious enough: 1) The majority of the “spy-cameras” have pretty low resolution: 0.557 MP average with 2.074 MP max (see www.rediff.com and www.bing.com); 2) They are too expensive: the average retail price of a non-police body camera was in October 2015, $215.22 with max price $6,399 (see www.thehomesecuritysuperstore.com, www.rediff.com and www.bing.com); 3) The ones with better resolution are too cumbersome for good concealment, in particular, too lengthy in the direction of the focal axis of the lens. The 4th shortcoming of the cameras mounted on user's clothing articles consist in that, the relatively considerable weight of a camera pulls it down thus stretching the garment material above the camera and crumpling it below the camera. That is bound to attract the unwanted attention and to lead to the loss of the concealment.